


Sole at Home

by The_Epitome_of_Pretense



Series: The Sole Saga [29]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Hugs, Kissing, Married Life, Nicknames, Robot/Human Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 09:34:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20405542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Epitome_of_Pretense/pseuds/The_Epitome_of_Pretense
Summary: Sole has kept one thing secret from Nick; now that they're married, she finally feels ready to tell him.





	Sole at Home

A good breakfast was hard to come by. 

Sole stirred a pinch of herbs into her bowl of eggs, then poured the mix into a skillet. She never could get used to the odd, greenish tint of mirelurk eggs, but at least they fried up as well as chicken eggs. If she ignored the mildly fishy flavor, she could almost fool herself into believing that they tasted the same—if they had been seasoned with smoked salmon. It made her wish she had some capers and red onion to mix with it. She stood to find the stick she had been using to poke the fire; the embers were burning slightly too low.

Not far off, she heard Nick humming something. He came down the road from the woods, coatless, hatless, his hands in his pockets. It would have struck her as odd to see him walking about in only his shirtsleeves had it not been for his calm expression. He stepped up behind her, still humming, and slipped his hands into the pockets of her dress. 

“Oh, I’ve got a pocketful of miracles…” he sang under his breath. 

“Where have you been all morning?” she chuckled. 

“Just out for a stroll.” He nestled his chin against her shoulder. “Watching the sunrise. You know how it is.”

“Wake me up for it one of these days,” she said. “I’d love to catch it more often.”

“Really? I figured you were more of a ‘sunset on the beach’ type of gal.”

“No, not at all. I’m actually not a big fan of sunsets.”

“Don’t you think they’re pretty?”

“They are, they are. They just… I don’t know. They feel like a deadline.”

“Hmm,” he nodded. “I guess they would be for someone who has to sleep every night.”

The point of his chin tickled her neck; she chuckled and shied away. He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her closer. He pressed his lips to her cheek, kissing her again and again. With a smile, she turned her head and gave him a proper kiss; not one that burned with passion, but rather smoldered, something slow and methodical, vulnerable without being dramatic. One that was comfortable. The kind of simple gesture she looked forward to sharing at any moment. She sighed.

“You’re a hell of a drug, you know that?” she said. 

“Better be careful. Addictol won’t help you there.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she smiled. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” He kissed her cheek one last time. “Oh, by the way, I got you something.”

He drew away and dug in his pocket, then pulled out a gold pendant watch. He slipped it over her head. She blinked in surprise. 

“You didn’t!” she said.

“I did.”

She had always admired the few timepieces she came across while scavenging; though she never said so outright, it did not surprise her that Nick noticed her interest.

“But—I didn’t get you anything.” She held the watch in her palm, tracing her fingers over the delicate filigree. “If I had known…”

“Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise,” he said. “I wanted to give it to you as an engagement present, but it took forever to find enough parts to get it working again.”

“I love it. It’s perfect.” She held it to her ear and listened to it tick. “Reminds me of you.”

“Why, because we’re both made of metal?”

“No, because you’re both pretty little things that tell me what I want to know.”

“I knew you married me for my good looks.”

He squeezed her closer; she could feel him smiling. She smiled too, already thinking of gifts she could give him in return, of ways she could make him feel just as loved as she did. One idea struck the smile from her face. It had been lingering in her thoughts for months, but the timing had not felt quite right. Perhaps it never would. She debated whether to try it; but she could not deny that it would be a grand gesture. 

“Well… on the topic of sharing information,” she paused for a breath, “there’s something you might want to know.”

He tensed. 

“What is it?” he said, a measured tone to his voice. 

“I thought you might—” she collected herself. “I thought you might want to know my real name.” 

He fell silent. 

“Are you sure?” He said. “Because you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“My husband should know my real name, I think. Don’t you want to know?”

“I do, I do. I just—I figured you had good reason for keeping it secret. If you’re not comfortable with telling me, well, I can always keep calling you ‘Doll.’ It won’t hurt my feelings.”

She took his good hand and brought it to her lips. 

“Sometimes I think you’re too sweet,” she whispered. 

“Oh, I don’t know about that.”

“It’s true. You’re too kind to me, Sugar. I’ll get spoiled. People will talk, they’ll say ‘That Suzi Jo, isn’t she a card?’”

“No, they’ll say—wait. Suzi Jo? Is that—?”

She nodded. She drew herself out of his embrace and shook his hand.

“Suzanne JoAnn Valentine,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”

“Suzanne?” he said, softly, as though tasting the word. “Huh. Suzanne.”

His usual smirk broadened, showing off the laugh lines she loved. Before she could say anything else, he pulled her into his arms and crushed her to his chest. 

“Careful with me,” she laughed. 

“Whatever you say, Suzi. Suzanne. Suzi Jo Valentine…”

“Don’t wear it out.”

“You know I will.”

They held each other in silence. She savored the warmth, the movement, the gentle pressure. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. 

A smokey smell startled her from her reverie. 

“Something burning?” Nick said. 

“Dammit—the eggs!”

She dashed to the fire and yanked the skillet off the rack. But it was too late; herbs and all had fused to the dish in a smoking heap. She groaned. 

“I had to sneak through a bog to get those,” she said. 

“Tough break, Suzi Jo. Come on, we’ll see what everyone else is having.”

“Sounds good. Let’s keep my name between us, though. For now.”

“That’s fine, but why?”

She let out a breath. 

“I’ve been the Sole Survivor to everyone for so long, I don’t think I’m ready to be Suzi Jo yet. Just to you.”

“Whatever you say, Mrs. Valentine.”

He took her hand, kissed it, and together they started for the street.

A good breakfast was hard to come by, she thought—but it was hard to be bothered by it.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday to me! Exactly one year ago yesterday, I posted my first Nick Fic, "Sole Mate." I've had a blast since then, sharing my work and getting feedback from you lovely readers. Thank you all for everything!


End file.
